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Framingham, sited on the ancient trail known as the Old Connecticut Path, was first settled when John Stone settled on the west bank of the Sudbury River in 1647. In 1660, Thomas Danforth, an official of the Bay Colony, formerly of Framlingham, Suffolk, received a grant of land at "Danforth's Farms" and began to accumulate over 15,000 acres (100 km2). He strenuously resisted petitions for incorporation of the town, which was officially incorporated in 1700, following his death the previous year. Why the "L" was dropped from the new town's name is not known. The first church was organized in 1701, the first teacher was hired in 1706, and the first permanent schoolhouse in 1716.

On February 22, 1775, the British general Thomas Gage sent two officers and an enlisted man out of Boston to survey the route to Worcester, Massachusetts. In Framingham those spies stopped at Buckminster's Tavern. They watched the town militia muster outside the building, impressed with the men's numbers but not their discipline. Though "the whole company" came into the tavern after their drill, the officers managed to remain undetected and continued on their mission the next day.[4] Gage did not order a march along that route, instead ordering troops to Concord, Massachusetts on April 18–19. Framingham sent two militia companies totaling about 130 men into the Battles of Lexington and Concord that followed; one of those men was wounded.[5]

During the post–World War II baby boom, Framingham, like many other suburban areas, experienced a large increase in population and housing. Much of the housing constructed during that time consisted of split-level and ranch-style houses.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.4 square miles (68.5 km²). 25.1 square miles (65.1 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (4.99%) is water.[7]

The town of Framingham is divided by Route 9, which passes east-to-west through the middle of the town. South Framingham includes Downtown Framingham (the town government seat), and the villages of Coburnville, Lokerville, and Salem End Road. North Framingham includes the villages of Nobscot, Pinefield, Ridgefield, and Saxonville plus Framingham Center (the physical center of town, featuring the town commons).

There were 26,153 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $54,288, and the median income for a family was $67,420. Males had a median income of $46,122 versus $35,941 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,758. About 8.0% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Framingham is one of the few towns in Massachusetts that has met its legal requirement of 10% for Massachusetts Chapter 40B Affordable housing which mostly targets people with income levels in the 70% of median income. In addition to its 40B Affordable component, Framingham has a large percentage of rental units which target people in the 30% of median income bracket. Framingham has a much larger percentage of rental households than any of the surrounding towns. Statewide, the median income of rental households is 47% of the median for homeowners, and in Middlesex County it is slightly more than 50%. In Framingham, the median renter income of $33,626 is 45% of the median homeowner income of $75,040.[24]

Housing in South Framingham is mainly single-family houses on lots of less than 0.5 acres (0 ha),[25] multi-family homes or apartments. Additionally much of the town's affordable housing is located south of Route 9. However there a large number of large, single-family homes around Salem End Road on the West Side of South Framingham. This region is often overlooked as being in South Framingham because the area is physically separated from most of the South Side due to a series of reservoirs and the Sudbury River.[26] Also, there are many large Victorian houses located along the shores of Learned and Gleason Ponds, and along Concord St. and Union Ave. near Downtown Framingham. Additionally, the West Side of South Framingham along Route 9 has several large tracts of multi story apartment buildings that comprise a major part of the town's apartment stock.[27][28][29]

North Framingham was originally mostly farmland and gave way to large tracts of single-family housing on lots of over 0.5 acres (0 ha) after World War II. The village of Saxonville on the east side is an old mill area that consists of many Victorian homes, and is undergoing a large expansion of over six hundred new homes on a former gravel pit. The village of Nobscot on the western side has many homes that are valued above mean housing prices for the region. While there are several small apartment complexes on the North Side, most have been converted to condominia. In the 1950s and 1960s, the villages of Nobscot, Pinefield, and Saxonville all had a large number of slab and raised ranch-style houses constructed by the Campanelli Company. These homes are classic cookie-cutter style homes that feature the same general shape and floor plan; while there are six or seven styles of the houses, the large majority of which are referred to Campanelli "L" ranches because their floor plan resembles the letter "L". At the time of construction, these homes were considered by many to be the epitome of the American dream of homeownership; today they are viewed as more modest homes.

Today, most of Framingham has been developed with the exception of some parcels in the northwest quadrant. In this part of town there are more people with wells and septic systems, combined with a large amount of ledge, which prevents most of the unbuilt land from being developed.

The town manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the town hired by and reporting to the Board of Selectmen. The office of the Town Manager is responsible for all hiring and firing. Before Framingham had a strong Town Manager, it had a Town Manager without hiring and firing powers, and before that, an Executive Administrator who operated on a daily basis with direction supplied by, what was then, a three-man Board of Selectmen.

Framingham is divided into 18 Precincts[30] with 12 elected town meeting members per precinct. Term of office is three years. The town is the largest municipality by population with a town meeting form of government in the United States.[31] In addition to acting as the legislative branch, town meeting is also the Zoning Authority and has the power to define zoning districts and is required to approve of Land Takings.

Framingham town meeting has a total of seven standing committees.[32] Each standing committee may have as a member a town meeting member from each of the 18 Precincts. The members of each precinct will annually elect the members of each of the standing committees. These standing committees are:

community services

education

planning and zoning

public safety

public works

rules

ways and means

These standing committees are responsible for reviewing and recommending disposition to the town meeting on all articles on a town meeting warrant which may be of interest to those committees.

The Framingham School Department can trace its roots back to 1706 when the town hired its first school master, Deacon Joshua Hemenway. While Framingham had its first school master, it did not get its own public school building until 1716. The first high school, the Framingham Academy, opened its doors in 1792; however this school was eventually closed due to financing issues and the legality of the town providing funds for a private school. The first town operated high school opened in 1852 and has been in operation continuously in numerous location throughout the town.[34]

Framingham has 14 public schools which are part of the Framingham Public School District.[35] This includes Framingham High School, three middle schools (Walsh, Fuller, and Cameron), nine elementary schools (Barberi, Brophy, Dunning, Hemenway, King, McCarthy, Potter Road, Stapleton, Woodrow Wilson), and the Blocks Pre-School.[35] The school district's main offices are located in the Fuller Administration Building on Flagg Drive[36] with additional offices at the King School on Water Street. The town also has a regional vocational high school[37] and one regional charter school.[38] Framingham is also home to several private schools, including Summit Montessori School, the Sudbury Valley School, three parochial schools, including Marian High School, one Jewish day school, and several specialty schools.

Since 1998, when Framingham began upgrading its schools, it has performed major renovations to Cameron, Wilson, McCarthy, and Framingham High School. Two public school buildings that were mothballed due to financial issues or population drops have been leased to the Metrowest Jewish Day School (at the former Juniper Hill Elementary) and Mass Bay Community College (at the former Farley Middle school). Several schools that were no longer being used were sold off, including Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington.

Framingham is located approximately halfway between Worcester, the commercial center of Central Massachusetts, and Boston, New England's leading port and metropolitan area. Rail and highway facilities connect these major centers and other communities in the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area.[39]

MassPort operates the Logan Express[42] bus service seven days per week providing a direct connection to Logan Airport. The bus terminal and paid parking facility are located on the Shoppers' World Mall property, off the Massachusetts Turnpike exit 13, between Route 9 and Route 30.

Peter Pan Bus Lines provides service to Worcester, New York, and Boston.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), provides THE RIDE, a paratransit service for the elderly and disabled.

Framingham's economy is predominantly derived from retail and office complexes. There are scatterings of small manufacturing facilities and commercial services such as plumbing, mechanical and electrical expected to be found in communities of its size. Framingham has three major business districts within the town, The "Golden Triangle," Downtown/South Framingham, and West Framingham. Additionally, there are several smaller business hubs in the villages of Framingham Center, Saxonville, Nobscot, and along the Route 9 corridor.

The Golden Triangle was originally a three square mile district on the eastern side of Framingham, bordered by Worcester Rd. (Route 9), Cochituate Rd. (Route 30), and Speen Street in Natick. In 1993, the area began to expand beyond the borders of the triangle with construction of a BJ's Wholesale Club and a Super Stop & Shop just north of Route 30.[49] It now includes the original area plus parts of Old Connecticut Path., Concord St. (Route 126), and Speen St. north of Route 30. Because of the size and complexity of this area, Framingham and Natick cooperatively operate it as a single distinct district with similar zoning. The area is one of the largest shopping districts in New England.

The area was formed with the construction of Shoppers World in 1951. Shoppers' World was a large open air shopping mall, the second in the US and the first east of the Mississippi River.[50] The mall drew many other retail construction projects to the area, including Marshalls (1961, rebuilt as Bed, Bath and Beyond 1997),[51]Caldor (1966, Rebuilt as Wal-Mart in 2002),[52]Bradlees (1960s, rebuilt as Kohl's in 2002),[53] the Route 30 Mall (1970),[54] an AMC Framingham 15, the Framingham Mall (1978, rebuilt 2000),[55] and Lowe's (formerly the Verizon Building, 2006).[56] Complementary developments in Natick include the Natick Mall (1966, rebuilt in 1991, expanded 2007 & renamed Natick Collection),[57] Sherwood Plaza (1960),[58] Cloverleaf Marketplace (1978),[59] and the Home Depot. In 1994, Shoppers' World was demolished and replaced with a strip mall named Shoppers World.[60] There are also seven hotels and two car dealerships located within the Triangle.

In addition to retail properties, there are large office developments located in the area including several companies headquartered in the triangle; the world headquarters of TJX is located at the junction of Route 30 and Speen St, as is the main office of IDG and IDC. Disruptor Beam, Breyers, Leggat McCall, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society all have facilities in the area. Boston Scientific headquarters is housed in Natick, in the old Carling Brewery building and former Prime parkway complex. There are over a dozen large office complexes located in, and along, the borders of the Triangle.

The downtown area is located between the "Y"-shaped traffic circle formed by the intersection of Concord St. and Union Ave. and is called Memorial Square. To the north and its mirror intersection at the junction of Irving St. and Hollis St. on the south end. The area is bisected by Waverly St. (Route 135) and the MBTACommuter Rail tracks. The anchoring structure of Downtown is the town hall, The Memorial Building.[61] The whole area will be undergoing a multi-million dollar reconstruction of the intersection of Union Ave. and Concord St. that will remove the traffic circle and replace it with a signal controlled intersection. Additional lights will be installed at the Irving St./Hollis St., while older signals in the area will also be upgraded. All sidewalks in the area will also be replaced, lighting upgraded, and new amenities such as seating and bicycle racks are also to be installed. The project was scheduled to begin in 2012, but has been delayed to 2014-2015.[62][63]

South Framingham became the commercial center of the town with the advent of the railroad in the 1880s. It eventually came to house Dennison Manufacturing and the former General MotorsFramingham Assembly plant, but the area underwent a financial downturn after the closure of these facilities during the late 1980s.[64] An influx of Hispanic and Brazilian immigrants helped to revitalize the district starting in the early 2000s. Along with Brazilian and Spanish oriented retail shops, there are restaurants, legal and financial services, the town offices and library, an art museum, police headquarters, and the local branch of the Social Security Administration. Several Asian and Indian stores and restaurants add to the rich ethnic flavor of the area, and many small businesses, restaurants and automotive-oriented shops line Waverly St. from Natick in east to Winter St. in the west.[65]

In 2006, the Fitts Market & Hemenway buildings façades underwent a restoration project; these newly renovated structures were awarded a 2006 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award in the Restoration and Rehabilitation Category.[66] In addition, several retail and housing projects involving the Arcade Building and the former Dennison Building Complex are in the planning stages or under construction.[67][68]

The business section on the West Side of Framingham runs primarily along Route 9, starting at Temple St.; it is dominated by two large office/industrial parks: the Framingham Industrial Park on the north side of Route 9 and the Framingham Technology Park on the south side, both on the Ashland/Southborough border. Bose and Staples Inc both have their world headquarters in these parks,[69] as does convenience store chain Cumberland Farms; in addition, Netezza, Genzyme, Capital One, CA Technologies, ITT Tech and the local paper, The MetroWest Daily News, all have major facilities located there. Two of Framingham's seven major auto dealerships are also located in West Framingham: Ford and Toyota/Scion.[70][71]

The large tracts of multi-story apartment and condominium complexes line both sides of Route 9 from Temple St. to the industrial parks. These buildings represent the majority of Framingham's multi-family dwellings, and along with the business complexes, helped create a large network of support services on the West Side: Framingham's second Super Stop & Shop supermarket,[72] dozens of restaurants and pubs, Sheraton[73] and Residence Inn by Marriott[74] hotels and a large day-care facility all are in the two-mile (3 km) section of Route 9 from Temple St. to Ashland.

Framingham Center is the physical and historic center of town. Formed at the junctions of Worcester Rd. (Route 9), Pleasant St. (Route 30), High St., Main St. and Edgell Rd.[75] the dominating presence is Framingham State University. The school is home to several thousand students, about one third of whom live on campus.[76] In the late 1960s, MassHighway replaced the intersection with an overpass, depressing Route 9 below the local roads, and destroying the south half of the old Center retail district. The remaining half houses several small stores, restaurants, realtors and legal offices. The old Boston and Worcester Street Railway depot, on the east side of the Center, was converted into a strip mall in the early 1980s and houses the Center Postal Station (01703) and several small stores.[77] The Center is rounded out by One and Two Edgell Rd. (two small retail/office buildings), the historic village hall,[78] the Jonathan Maynard Building (a former school converted to an office building which now houses most of the school district's administration), the Framingham History Center (formerly the Framingham Historical Society and Museum),[79] several banks, a Chinese restaurant, the American Medical Response paramedic station and McCarthy Office Building.

The village of Nobscot, located at the intersection of Water St., Edmands Rd. and Edgell Rd., and the Pinefield/Saxonville villages, located where Concord St., Water St., and Central St. intersect,[80][81] are home to several small office buildings, strip malls and gas stations. Saxonville is the home of the former Roxbury Carpet Company buildings, now an industrial park.

In addition, the section of Route 9 from the Route 126 overpass to the Main St./Edgell Rd. beetleback in Framingham Center is heavily developed. Three car dealerships, Acura, Chevrolet and Nissan, several strip malls of varying sizes, many small apartment complexes, several small office complexes and other small shops and restaurants make Route 9 the main commercial thoroughfare in Framingham.

Finally, there are several other small retail areas and facilities spread throughout the town, e.g. near Mt Wayte Ave. and Franklin St.; the intersection of Concord St. and Hartford St.; and along School St., near Hamilton St.

Framingham High School has a student-run television station, FHS-TV, that broadcasts locally; "Flyer News", its morning news program, has won 11 National High School Emmy Awards.

The Town of Framingham operates the Government Channel shown on Comcast channel 99, RCN 13, and Verizon 42. The Government Channel operation provides programming sponsored by or for the Town of Framingham. Commission meetings are cablecast live to inform residents and encourage participation in local government. Some of the programming provided, keeps residents abreast of road closings, construction updates, recycling efforts, public safety information, and special events in the community. The Government Channel is committed to making local government more accessible to all residents. More information is available at www.framinghamtv.com

WSRO (AM 650) is an AM broadcasting station featuring Portuguese-language programming that leases studio and tower space from WXKS. Owned by the Langer Broadcasting Group, LLC and licensed to Natick, Massachusetts with studios on 100 Mount Wayte Ave in Framingham;[89][90]

WQOM (AM 1060) is an AM broadcasting station featuring business talk radio programming that leases studio and tower space from WXKS. Owned by the Langer Broadcasting Group, LLC and licensed to Ashland, Massachusetts with studios on 100 Mount Wayte Ave in Framingham;[89][91]

WDJM-FM (91.3 FM) is Framingham State College's FM broadcasting station that features an open format with progressive rock, hip-hop and rap. It is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is licensed to Framingham, Massachusetts with studios at 100 State St. in Framingham;[92]

Framingham Amateur Radio Association[93] is the local amateur radio enthusiasts group.

Electrical distribution – Framingham is served by NStar for electricity distribution, customers are free to purchase electricity from individual suppliers.

Telephone, CATV, and data services – The majority of Framingham is served by three vendors that provide telephone, cable TV, and internet services. Other smaller or specialized companies provide DSL, ISDN, POTS, and CTI services.

Water and sewer – Framingham is part of the MWRA and the town owns its water and sewer mains. The northwest corner of town, west of Edgell Road and north of Route 30, primarily relies on wells and septic systems for private residences.

Framingham features dozens of athletic fields and civic facilities spread throughout the town in schools and public parks.[94] Many of the recreational facilities were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal.

Bowditch Field is the town's main athletic facility. It is located on Union Avenue midway between Downtown and Framingham Center and was the main athletic facility for the town. It houses a large multi-purpose football stadium that included permanent bleachers on both sides of the field. There is still a baseball field, tennis courts, a track and field practice area, and the headquarters of the town Parks Department. Bowditch, along with Butterworth and Winch Parks, were all built during the Great Depression of the 1930s as WPA projects. It underwent a complete renovation/reconstruction in 2010.[100][101]

Butterworth Park is located at the corner of Grant St and Arthur St. The park occupies a square block near downtown. The park has includes a baseball stadium that includes permanent bleachers on one side of the field, a basketball court and a tennis court. There is street parking available on three sides.

Winch Park is the sister park to Butterworth and is located in Saxonville adjacent to the Framingham High School. It includes a baseball stadium that includes permanent bleachers on one side of the field, a basketball court, tennis courts and two large practice fields used for football, soccer and lacrosse. There are two additional multi-use fields located on the other side of the high school's gymnasium building.

Callahan State Park is a large state park run by the DCR located in North Framingham in the northwest corner of town.[102]

Cochituate State Park on Lake Cochituate has a small section in Framingham where Saxonville Beach is located on the north western shore of the lake.[103]

Danforth Park located on Danforth Street, not far from the Wayland town line. The small park has playground with a half basketball court and a small baseball/kickball field.

Framingham Common is located in Framingham Center in front of the old Town Hall along Edgell Road and Vernon Street. It features the town Christmas Tree and an outdoor stage used for concerts and other fair weather events. It is a favorite of the students of Framingham State University, and the site of their annual graduation ceremonies.[104]

Cushing Park on the South Side is a passive recreational area. The Framingham Peace and 9/11 Memorials are located within the park across the street from Farm Pond, along with the Cushing Chapel. After WWII ended, this land used to be the Cushing Veterans Hospital.[105]

Long Athletic Complex On the south side of Framingham, near downtown the complex is the host of three little league baseball diamonds (Carter, Tusconi, Merloni), two Babe Ruth baseball fields (one being Long field), a softball field, outdoor basketball court, and two concession stands. The complex is surrounded by Keefe Tech High School, Loring Arena, and Barbari Elementary School. All of the fields have lights, and they host almost all of Framingham's Little League games. Long field is the host of JV high school games as well as a majority of the Framingham Babe Ruth games. The concession stands are both non-profit and all the money goes back towards the Framingham baseball league.

Framingham has about 400 acres (1.6 km2) of land that has been placed into public conservation.[106]

The Wittenborg Woods was donated to the town in 1999 by Harriet Wittenborg. The properties were originally purchased from Henry Ford in the 1940s. Henry Ford owned all of the land around the Wayside Inn in nearby Sudbury, and Harriet (and her husband) were required to interview with Mr. Ford to determine if they would be good stewards of the land.[107]

The Morency Woods is a parcel of land that is physically located in Natick, Massachusetts on the Framingham border, but which is owned by the town of Framingham. This forested land was used as a sewer bed up until the mid-1940s and was placed into conservation in 2001.[108]

The Sudbury Valley Trustees has approximately 200 acres (0.8 km2) of land in North Framingham and along the Sudbury River in a private conservation trust.[109]

Framingham Country Club, located along Salem End Road on the South Side, is a private club that features an 18-hole course with 6,580 yards (6,017 m) of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72.

Millwood Farms Golf Course off Millwood Street is a public 14-hole, par 53 golf course. Originally a 9-hole course, it was expanded to 14 holes in the late 1970s. Attempts to purchase land for a full 18-hole were unsuccessful.

Nobscot Mountain Reservation is a private facility owned by the Knox Trail Council[111] of the Boy Scouts of America and is open to the public during most of the year.

The town has several public beaches including Saxonville beach on Lake Cochituate, Washakum Beach on Lake Washakum, and the beach at Learned Pond.

The former Cushing hospital grounds serve as walking, biking, rollerblading, and picnic areas.

Farm Pond, located in South Framingham, once used to host Fourth of July Fireworks, now serves as a picnic area.

Edward F. Loring Skating Arena,[112] located near Farm Pond at the corner of Fountain and Dudley Roads, is a municipal skating arena for area groups on a rental basis and public skating and stick time is available September through April.